Friday, August 4, 2017

Marjorie Velázquez Launches Community Petition over 2800 Bruckner Blvd Social Service Clearinghouse Concerns

Bronx Community Board 10 Treasurer and City Council candidate collects nearly 200 signatures from local residents amid recently-announced tenant eviction, concern over rumored plans to convert office building into social service clearinghouse

Change.org petition seeks greater community input and the halting of work and activity at 2800 Bruckner Blvd.; Velázquez also pens letter to property owner and developer seeking answers

Amid growing concerns over the possible conversion of a Throggs Neck office building into a social service clearinghouse, Bronx Community Board 10 Treasurer and Democratic candidate for City Council Marjorie Velázquez has launched a petition urging more input from local residents and cessation of work currently underway. In addition to the effort, which has already gathered hundreds of signatures, Velázquez is also writing a letter to the landlord and developer to seek answers for the families living in the largely residential community.

"Throggs Neck families are up in arms. The hundreds of petition signatures we've gathered in the last few days reflects just how concerned we are about this property," said Marjorie Velázquez. "Local businesses and offices are being evicted so that developers can have their way with the site and force something on us that we were not informed about or had any opportunity to comment on. As a resident and member of this community, I will fight for the answers we deserve."

This past weekend, Velázquez launched a petition on the site change.org calling for an end to work at 2800 Bruckner Boulevard in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx. Velázquez's actions were spurred by growing confusion amid residents over the future of the commercial office property after office tenants were recently served with 30-day eviction notices. During this time, nearby residents also reported seeing beds and furniture moved into the property, and residents found job postings for substance abuse staff to work at the location, prompting fears that the site will be converted into a possible social service clearinghouse.

In just a few days, the petition has gathered over 190 signatures. The dozens of comments left by signers express a mix of fear, anger and frustration over the lack of community input in the proposed change, as well as concerns over the future of the site.

Velázquez echoes these concerns in a letter penned today to Steward Redevelopment and Bruckner East LLC, the two entities tied to the property. Velázquez notes attending a July 28th evening meeting with local community leaders to discuss the issue, and that no advance notice was given prior to the evictions. Velázquez urges the companies to halt all work and present plans to the community board before any additional steps are taken.

"My community is fearful that the building will become a clearinghouse for programs that would negatively impact our quality of life. I stand with my neighbors to ensure that this building will not become a detriment to our neighborhood," said Velázquez.